OUR OPINION: It's our duty to vote

The Massachusetts special election to fill the U.S. Senate seat vacated by John Kerry is upon us.

Wicked Local

Writer

Posted Jun. 24, 2013 at 12:01 AM
Updated Jun 24, 2013 at 8:23 PM

Posted Jun. 24, 2013 at 12:01 AM
Updated Jun 24, 2013 at 8:23 PM

» Social News

The Massachusetts special election to fill the U.S. Senate seat vacated by John Kerry is upon us.

On Tuesday, June 25, the polls open at 7 a.m. to welcome voters to select one of three candidates: U.S. Rep. Ed Markey, a Democrat; Cohasset businessman Gabriel Gomez, a Republican; or Richard Heos of the new Twelve Visions Party. We urge everyone eligible to vote.

There are many pressing issues before the country, as there usually are. Yet it seems with an uncertain economy, there’s extra urgency. Throw in NSA phone tapping, email snooping and a Skype-peeping scandal, along with all of the questions about the subversion of the U.S. Constitution that go along with them, and the urgency grows.

Right now, Congress is being pressed to reform immigration law, weigh gun control measures, and consider changes to abortion restrictions. Thus, the next U.S. senator Massachusetts sends to Washington matters. And let’s not forget the drastic, across-the-board cuts to the federal budget known as sequestration – blind cuts no legislator wanted – that have yet to be addressed.

While there’s little agreement between the parties as to how to address these complex issues, there’s one point on which we can all agree: every vote matters.

If you want to lay claim to your country, have a voice in your government and help define the future, then vote.